What Are Employers Looking For? Job Candidates with Good Communications Skills.

December 13, 2018

By Amanda Weston

Good communicators, rejoice. You possess the top skill in demand in this year's LinkedIn U.S. Emerging Jobs Report.

"The single biggest one is in oral communications," Guy Berger, LinkedIn's chief economist, told Cheddar Thursday. "Nearly every major city in the United States has a shortage in this. In many of them, it's the biggest shortage. And the reason is that nearly every job requires that."

LinkedIn's study highlights the hottest and fastest growing jobs ー as well as the skills in short supply.

Artificial intelligence dominated the 2018 report. The findings show six out of 15 emerging jobs relate to A.I. But even as A.I. occupies a prominent spot, "soft skills" like communication shouldn't be neglected.

"We keep hearing about A.I. eating the future of work, and I think the reality is these are the skills that even if A.I. automates a lot of existing job functions and skills and capabilities, it's not going to be able to replace that need for human-to-human interaction, and that's why these skills are so important," Berger said.

Blockchain developer nabbed the top spot for emerging jobs, echoing the HTTP boom in the job market during the 1980s and 90s.

But as to whether blockchain careers will stick, it's too early to say, according to Berger.

"I think only time will tell," he said. "I think a lot of it involves finding new applications for blockchain that are more mass market than just cryptocurrency."

Some of the highest paying roles belong in cutting-edge A.I. and machine learning jobs. But soft skills can also prove to be lucrative.

"If you're thinking for the long run, I wouldn't be the kind of person that would just bet on tech skills," Berger advised.

"These soft skills are what allow for a foundation of adaptability and durability. And if it really is the case that A.I. in the next five, 10, 15 years revolutionizes the workplace and technology changes so much that these current tech skills become obsolete, it is nice to have a foundation that makes you a valuable worker in all sorts of different kinds of roles," he said. "That's what these soft skills do."